Lessons Learnt: Faith

Disclaimer: I’ve been looking back over my entries since I started this blog, and I’ve noticed that, since its inception, I've moved towards a more philosophical voice and selection of topics. I realize that such posts probably aren’t all that interesting to anyone other than myself. This shift may be due in part to some fairly transformative events that have happened over the last year or so, which have sent my mind and heart into a veritable overdrive in an effort to understand the place and purpose of these events in my life. Either way, I’d like to apologize upfront for the following post (actually I apologize for several of my future posts as well), and want to promise to you, dear reader, that, getting this out of my system, I will try to get back to the lighter side of life in future entries. For now, proceed with caution…

As indicated in several of my last posts, my life of late has been kinda all over the place. It’s been a veritable kaleidoscope (yes, the metaphors continue!), containing all the various shades and hues of life experience. Well, over the last month or so, that kaleidoscope has continued to expand in scope and complexity, or maybe it's just my field of vision that has expanded. Either way, life continues to unfold and unveil itself: beautiful and mysterious, joyful and bittersweet, infinitely complex yet refreshingly simple.

So, enough with vague metaphors which allude to mysterious, significant events in my life. Most all of you know about what's been happening lately (starting a new job, losing close friends, saying goodbye to Kelli after 10 years, my new calling, the Obama's new dog) so I won't go into details. Rather I'd like to talk about some insights gained from these experiences and challenges. I realize that I tend to wax philosophical quite often in these posts, and I apologize for that. It’s just part of the way I metabolize things in my life. Sorry to include you all in my metabolic process. How’s that for a visual? ☺

So I want to center my thoughts around four basic concepts which I will explore in this and in three subsequent posts. These topics are: faith, action, sacrifice and service (note: these topics are subject to change at the sole discretion of the author. If said topics do not match up with subsequent posts, don’t come crying to me).

Faith:

“Life is hard and then you die.” I don’t know who first offered that little jewel of wisdom, but it sure has made its way into our society’s vernacular, not to mention its general attitude. I’ve never really liked the defeated, fatalistic message it seems to put forth, but at the same time, I understand it. I’ve been through some scrapes in my life. I’ve been hurt, taken advantage of, used and betrayed. I’ve seen my hopes rise and fall as consistently as the tide. I’ve also hurt, taken advantage of, used, and betrayed others. And I have certainly been the source of much disappointment to those that love and care about me. In short, my life has been filled with hardship. And there are just times when, frankly, it seems like life is nothing but an uphill battle. And the thing is, the tough times in my life, absolutely pale in comparison to what is happening in the lives of the majority of the world’s population. So yeah, I can understand those that declare life to be nothing but suffering.

But (and it’s a pretty big but), if the adage of “life is hard and then you die” has any truth to it, so does that of “pain is inevitable, misery is optional.” Here is where faith enters picture.

Life is meant to be hard. We are here, in the great proving grounds of our souls, to see what manner of men (or women) we are. God designed it to be this way. And we also knew it would be this way, and yet we elected to come here anyway. Why? Because the reward that awaits us at the other side of this refiner’s fire is of such beauty and of such worth that we literally chose to do ANYTHING to obtain it. That reward is God Himself: to be with Him, to be in Him, to be Him.

But the beauty of it all is that God not only offers us respite and unending joy at the end of our journey, but also glimpses of that state through out this life. Like the proverbial carrot before the mule, God offers temporary rest to the weary, strength to the weak, and joy to the disheartened. This help, these “tender mercies,” not only drive us onward, but have the added benefit of aiding us on our journey. Unlike the mule, that might plow his field regardless of having that carrot before him, we simply cannot complete our task without the Lord’s help. Recognizing that truth is the first step beyond mere belief and on towards faith. And with faith as our traveling companion, each step taken, takes us closer to the beauty that waits us at the end of this life.

So yeah, life is hard, but then you die! Sounds pretty stinkin’ good to me!

So, what does this all mean, and why is this lesson important to me? This knowledge helps me understand that when all my hopes are dashed, when some precious object is taken away from me (a la Smeagol) or when my path leading to some great goal is insurmountably barred before me, am I defeated? I am if I lose sight of that great reward. If I lose sight of my God, and fail to recognize that this is how life is supposed to be. It doesn’t matter what happens to me while I’m here, nor how I’ve been wronged or how inexplicable or unfair a situation may seem. What matters is what I do with the lot given to me and who I become as a result of my choices. And it’s through those choices, those decisions that we all make in faith, that we find the joy, strength, and comfort that God offers to us. I think it’s important to note that happiness and hardship are not mutually exclusive. We experience both in this life, and often at the same time. But finding joy in this life is largely dependent upon our ability and willingness to not only act, but to act in faith.

In my next post I’ll talk more about that concept of choice and action.